The West Wing

President Bartlet is making a whirlwind 20-hour trip to Los Angeles. On the flight he meets Zoey's new bodyguard, who assures him that she will protect his daughter from those who have been sending racist threats. Josh is excited to hear that Joey Lucas will be at the evening's fund raiser, but dismayed to learn that the host is threatening to cancel the party unless the President makes a public statement supporting gay rights. Back in Washington, Leo needs to convince Vice President Hoynes to break a 50-50 tie by voting for an ethanol gas tax.

1. Josh & Joey: adorable or a little offputting considering how much of an ass he was the only time they met before?
2. Like "Take This Sabbath Day" this was a very politics-heavy episode (as opposed to policy-heavy). Where there was strife and pushback against the realities of the politics of the death penalty in Sabbath Day, did it seem that everyone was just accepting, with a note of cynicism, the realities of polling and fundraising and unpopular positions in this episode, except, perhaps, for John Hoynes?
3. In the ongoing b-plot, is Zoey being cavalier about the need for protection (especially after the terrible scare her father gave her about worst case scenarios) or naive about the realities of being visible to the public?